Qigong has been in Chinese culture for a long time and many methods have been developed during its long history. Depending on the intention of the method, it can affect change to various aspects of life, including the body, Qi and the consciousness. So, is Qigong safe to practice? There is no simple answer to this question because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Qigong methods and not all of them are the same safety-wise. The only answer we can give for sure is that Yuan Gong is a safe Qigong system.
No matter if we are working on the body, Qi or the consciousness, if we work on them in a way that is not compatible with the way they naturally operate, adverse effects may result, and safety can be compromised. For a safe practice, the design of a Qigong method must be based on a comprehensive and authentic understanding of how these aspects work and their complex relationships with one another. Examples of this include understanding how a physical movement or mind activity changes Qi in the body, or how organ Qi works and how to improve it, or how the change of Qi in the head affects the consciousness.
Yuan Gong was created by Yuan Tze in 2013. He saw the need for a Qigong system that would work comprehensively on the whole of life, including the
body, Qi, heart and consciousness. With this system, one can not only clear problems on these levels but also uplift life to a higher level.
The scope of Yuan Gong thus goes beyond that of Qigong in the traditional sense: the ultimate goal of Yuan Gong is to help people attain realization and wisdom.
From the very beginning Yuan Tze kept safety and effectiveness as the core values in his design of Yuan Gong. Safety always comes first because effectiveness is meaningless without it. Yuan Gong is capable of delivering what is intended in a safe manner because it was built upon a strong foundation that consists of two components. One component is the theoretical base provided by Ren Xue, which consists of three fundamental theories – the Theory of Qi, the Theory of Shen and Consciousness, and the Theory of Totality. These theories are distilled from Yuan Tze’s life-long search and realization of universal wisdom. The other component is Yuan Tze’s profound understanding of Qi and Qigong gained through his extensive experiences of using Qigong to cultivate his own life and help other people. With these two components as the foundation, the work on the different aspects of life – the body, Qi, heart, and consciousness – can be coherent and consistent and thus safety and effectiveness is achieved.
Safety is considered in every part of Yuan Gong. It is in the design of every movement, all mind activity, every method, and in how the whole system works as a whole. For example, the nine Yuan Gong methods are arranged so that the practitioner can gradually deepen their work on Qi and then, with a good Qi foundation, work safely on the heart and consciousness. Another example is that every part of the nine methods includes designated mind activity: There is no requirement to ‘have no thoughts’. This is an important safety consideration because the nature of consciousness is to be always active. Problems can arise when having no thoughts is made a goal of a practice.
How to ensure safety in Yuan Gong practice
To ensure safety during the practice of Yuan Gong, the requirements for safety must be properly followed, including:
- Learning the method properly before starting the practice. Get to know what the method is for and how it works. Get familiar with all the requirements involved, including the requirements for the physical movements and postures and for mind focus and activity.
- Following the requirements properly and sticking to the requirements without altering them.
- Following the principle of ‘Building the practice incrementally, step-by-step’.
- Avoiding mixing Yuan Gong with other practices or methods from other systems. Each system works on Qi in its own way. Confusion to Qi might be created when mixing different systems.
- Observing all safety measures. This includes understanding Qi reactions and unusual experiences such as spontaneous movement and following the advice on how to deal with them.
When safety requirements are properly followed, Yuan Gong is not only safe to practice but also extremely effective. As thousands of practitioners have experienced, the positive change it can bring to life is immeasurable.